As I mentioned before, I was a Girl Scout back in the ’90’s and the Girl Scout state of mind has
stayed with me ever since. Other examples include:

…considerate and caring…
Being considerate is as easy as politely answering the phone when your mother or father calls you. It’s not arguing with a teacher when you believe he gave you the wrong grade, but rather sending him a respectful email after class and providing him with information to help him resolve the issue. It’s sending your friend an email or letter when you know she’s going through a rough time. It’s buying your sister that sweater she’s been wanting, even when it means sacrificing your Starbucks money.

…courageous and strong…
Being courageous and strong is apologizing when you really want to hide in your room and never come out. It’s respectfully emailing your professor and asking him if there is anything you can do to fix your grade. It’s quitting that job that makes the money you want, but doesn’t make you happy. It’s being honest with yourself.

…responsible for what I say and do…
This is easily the most difficult line of the Girl Scout law to live out – we as humans struggle to take responsibility for our actions on a daily basis, and some of this is natural. However, we all know that actions speak louder than words, and it’s important to remember this when we’re about to make a decision in which we’re uncertain. It’s important to remember when you know that you know better.

It’s important to remember when someone challenges your beliefs. Take responsibility not only for your words and actions, but for the protection of your feelings and spirituality. And don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

We love hearing stories about our Girl Scouts – especially during cookie season. When we received this note from Girl Scout Abriana from Troop 3049 and her mother, we couldn’t help but share it. Talk about ambition and reaching goals. Way to go Abriana!

Abriana had a great idea before we left on a family trip to Portland, Oregon. She wanted to make sure she wasn’t going to miss any cookie sales since we were flying to Portland, Oregon to visit family during cookie selling season. So she decided to pack two big bags full of Girl Scout cookies and take them along for our trip. She picked 2 boxes of cookies, one Thanks A Lot & one Lemonade, to make the cookie journey with her. Waiting at the gate for the plane to arrive the whole crew was excited to see a Girl Scout with cookies! They offered to do a group picture with her and the cookies!

Once on the plane and in the air, the flight attendant asked her if she could make a announcement of the special guest they have flying with them today. Abriana was soooo excited! They announced to the cabin that they had a special Girl Scout Brownie on board from troop 3049 from the Girl Scouts Central California South and she had some cookies on board to sell. They asked the passengers to turn on their call lights if they wanted any cookies, and to her surprise a bunch of lights came on. She got to walk the isle and sell her cookies, at 20,000 ft in the air!! The attendant said “You know what Abriana, right now you’re literally the highest selling Girl Scout in California”! We all laughed and thought it just might be!

When she was done, she got to announce a big thank you for supporting Girl Scouts and the attendant awarded her with a Alaska Airlines wings pin for her uniform. Once we landed, the pilots wanted to buy some cookies and invited Abriana to the cockpit for a sale of thin mint cookies. She got to show Thanks & Lemon what it looked like inside the cockpit and a quick tour of the plane. She took pictures and waved goodbye to all the crew. Abriana couldn’t believe her exciting journey with her cookies, she said ” that’s why a Girl Scout never leaves her cookies behind, you never know when & where your going to make a sale” !! “

I was a Girl Scout back in the ’90’s – well, to be more accurate, I was a Brownie back in the 90’s. My
experience with the Girl Scouts was short-lived, mainly because I lived in an extremely small town
in an extremely rural area – but I think the Girl Scout state of mind has stayed with me ever since,
leading me to be a leader, a musician, a friend, a sorority sister, a daughter and a patriotic American
girl. Let me explain:

I will do my best to be…
Since a young age, I have been very competitive. Not in an aggressive, “I’m awesome and you’re
not” way – but in a “I have to win, and if I don’t, I’ll try again” way. This aspect of my personality
has rung true throughout my life, as I applied for my first high-school leadership position,
internship, part-time job, and auditioned to be a National Anthem singer, I tried my best to be –
myself.

…honest and fair…
Despite my tendency to over-exaggerate literally everything (I’ve always been quite the story-teller)
I’ve always felt the need to be extremely honest where it counts. I’ve always done (I hope) my best
to be fair to all people, friends, family and co-workers alike.

…friendly and helpful…
This is most important to me, above all other things. Smiling when you don’t feel like it, being polite
to the drive-through operator, and letting someone in a hurry cut you in line and offering them a
smile – being kind is an easy thing to do that (I promise) will not put you out, but rather, allow you
to feel fulfilled.

To Be Continued . . .
Written by contributing writer and Girl Scout Alumna Sara Remus

So when I started thinking about what topic I should write about, a few came up, but this one really stuck out to me, because I know many girls, and even adults, go through the exact same situation that I am going through right now. I am a junior in high school stressing about my grades and how I will be able to afford college. People always take time to ask me how I remain sane during these times.

When someone first came up to me with this question, I was unsure of how I should answer it. The truth, I often feared, was that I didn’t know how to handle it. I was wrong; I knew how to handle situations like these. I responded with, “I don’t know, I just breathe, I guess.” When I really think about it though, I remember the top five rules I follow in order to help my stress levels.

Rule #1: Drink cool refreshing drinks – my favorite is lemon water. People often think that coffee or teas reduce stress, but it is in fact the opposite. They are high in caffeine and sugar, which is not good for your healthy living lifestyle. I’m not saying the occasional Starbucks is wrong.

Rule #2: Smile. It takes more muscles to frown than to smile. It encourages people around you, and it draws people towards you.

Rule #3: Laugh. Laughing produces a hormone that naturally makes people happy. It is important to laugh, because if you can’t laugh at your life, then you are taking life too seriously.

Rule #4: Play a sport, get exercise, or do yoga. I personally play sports, go to the gym, and I love doing yoga! When I exercise, I feel like I have accomplished something. It also will take your mind off of things, which is a great thing.

Rule #5: Talk to someone. Around 64% of teenagers experience stress at an above average level. This means that you have people to talk to, because they are going through the exact same situation. Whether it is a friend, a parent, or whoever, they will be willing to listen to your problems.

There was a girl scout troop. They went to the Fresno Fairgrounds and did crafts. They got stamps and learned new things. They got to play games. They soon saw a storm trooper. He had a blaster, but it was a fake. He shoots it and a lazer comes out. Someone screamed!

Some Girl Scouts tried to get him, but he was too fast. They kept chasing him, his hands were full, and they stopped him by throwing a chair at him. Then, he fell down smack on his face. The girls pulled his mask off. It was a kangaroo! They kangaroo got up and hopped away. His name was Joey. He was an ugly kangaroo that smelled like eggs. They took him to the zoo and gave him a bath. The bath had better be warm or he would go crazy and wouldn’t ever want to take a bath again. He went crazy, of course! After his bath, the Girl Scouts game him Caramel DeLites to calm him down. Joey ate the whole box, so then they gave him a box of Peanut Butter Patties. He ate all of the cookies, then threw a rock at a tree. When the Girl Scouts turned around to see what made the noise, he stole the girl’s wagon that was full of cookies!!

The Girl Scouts chased after him, but once again they couldn’t catch him. He opened a box of Lemonades and took a break from running to eat them. Joey went to the Girl Scout Cookie factory and ate all the cookies there. The girls trapped him and took him back to the zoo.

Once he was at the zoo, he ate the cookies with the Girl Scouts. When the cookies were gone, he escaped ahain. He found some Girl Scout clothing and a vest on the ground. He put on the Girl Scout clothes because he wanted to be a Girl Scout too. All the Girl Scouts caught up to him, and they took him back to the zoo. He gets mad and begs for more cookies. Joey really likes the cookies, so he ran away again. Joey and the Girl Scouts made a deal, if he stayed there they would give him five boxes of cookies.

He did, so the Girl Scouts gave him five boxes of cookies. He chose two boxes of Caramel DeLites, two boxes of Thin Mints, and a box of Peanut Butter Patties, He wanted a big glass of milk. He later decided to buy three boxes of Thanks-a-lots. He’s gonna be full. Joery got a bad stomach ache and threw up. “Gross!” thought the Girl Scouts. They had to clean it up, and give him another bath. Then, the Girl Scouts decided NO MORE cookies for Joey! They won’t give any more cookies to Joey. Then, Joey got really REALLY mad and ran away again, and he stole cookies from the Girl Scouts and the people who bought them. Then, they made a kangaroo jail for him, but he chewed it up and kicked it down to escape. WANTED!! Joey, the kangaroo – Girl Scout Cookie Thief.

-Written by the Girl Scouts of Central California South (January 24, 2015)

Hello, my name is Chandler. I am a senior in Girl Scouts and I am a freshman at University High School. This is my first time blogging for the website, but I have been in Girls Scouts for two years and have enjoyed every minute of it. One of my favorite aspects about being in Girls Scouts is the opportunity for public relations, especially marketing products.

A few months ago, I had the opportunity to be interviewed on Alex Delgado’s show, Central Valley Today, as well as appearing on KSEE 24 live action news (which I might add I had to get up pretty early for). Now looking back on those experiences, even if I was a little nervous about them, they were a great opportunity to get some practice in for public speaking and to get over my camera shyness.

I learned a way to calm yourself down if you are nervous and about to go live is to smile at the camera and take really deep breaths: in through the nose, out through the mouth.

In order to practice for public speaking, I would suggest making a list of talking points or note cards if you are preparing a speech. This will help you to keep your mind focused and on topic, as well as getting you to retain the information and know it thoroughly. I have also learned that practicing in front of people you are comfortable with, like your friends and family, helps you be more relaxed on camera. One thing to be careful of while you are on camera is to not fiddle with your hair or with your note cards and keep your attention on the interviewer. I hope these tips were helpful, and good luck on your next public speaking opportunity!

It’s that time of year again—back to school! Sharpened pencils, school buses, homework and, hopefully, cooler weather are coming to a theater near you. Before school starts and life gets even busier, throw a fun-filled slumber party. Here are five tips about how to host an epic sleepover.

1. Pick a theme
Your slumber party will be fun and unique, regardless of whether you have a theme, since no one is exactly the same as you and your friends. To make your party extra memorable though, you can pick one of many awesome themes. Some examples include a decade-theme sleepover, a campout, a Hawaiian or Luau-theme party and a sports-theme slumber party. Visit http://www.easy-party-ideas-and-games.com/slumber-party.html for more ideas.

2. Play Fun Games
Put your hula hoop skills to the test and see who can hula hoop for the longest amount of time.

If you’re planning a camping theme slumber party, try the Mosquito Game. Give each player a sheet of dot stickers (preferably red!) that will represent mosquito bites. Throughout the evening, try to get rid of your stickers by giving the others players & mosquito bites! Do this by secretly placing stickers on other players. Be careful…if you are caught you have to keep your mosquito bite sticker. The first player to get rid of their stickers is the winner!

Photo courtesy: Kim’s party blog

3. Enjoy a delicious, easy-to-make treat
To make indoor S’mores, all you have to do is place a marshmallow on a Girl Scout Cookie. Microwave for 10 seconds and then add a matching cookie on top. Lastly, allow the marshmallow to cool.

4. Get Crafty
Make super cute pillowcases following these five easy steps. First, prewash your pillowcase (ironing is optional). Then use a pencil to lightly write in bubble letters the words you want on your pillowcase such as “BFFs” or your name. Then use permanent or fabric markers to outline the letters. Fill in the letters with patterns and colors of your choosing. Lastly, heat-set your pillowcase in the dryer for 20 minutes.

5. Make The Memories Last Collage pictures of you and your friends hanging out during the summer. Make a background with magazine pictures of your favorite things about summer such as sunglasses, the beach and frozen treats. This will be a fantastic memento for you and your friends to cherish the memories you all made—years later.

Visit our Pinterest Page for more sleepover ideas. Most importantly, don’t forget to thank your party hostess and her parents for inviting you and always be mindful of their rules.

Troop 305 is what we affectionately call a “Super Troop” – which means they have girls from every level of Girl
Scouts. They have almost 100 girls in their troop!!

They recently held an awards ceremony and gave out 31 ten year pins to girls! This pretty much means these
girls have been in Girl Scouts since Daisies or Brownies! They also recognized 5 Bronze Award recipients, 14
Silver Award recipients, 9 Gold Award recipients, and 4 Trifecta Award recipients! What a fabulous testimony of
a GREAT troop that is truly volunteer driven. Troop leaders and advisors have mastered the challenge of
keeping girls in the program for a long time – camaraderie, friendship, creating challenges, having fun, letting
the girls be the leaders!!

I asked one of the Gold Award recipients why she thought so many of the girls had remained in the troop for so
long and she said they have been the best of friends from the beginning and these girls continue to be among
her best friends. She also said they always had something new, exciting and challenging to do and that kept
their interest!

Way to go Troop 305! And thanks for inviting me to participate in your awards ceremony – it was an honor to
see so many wonderfully motivated young women willing to step out of their comfort zone to make a difference
in making the world a better place! It is a wonderful feeling to know our world is in your amazing hands!

From Girl Scout to Army Sergeant back to Girl Scouts – we here at Girl Scouts of Central California South are ecstatic to introduce Rae Monique Pineda, now Program Leadership Coordinator based in Bakersfield.

The lessons learned as a Girl Scout helped Rae become a successful, well-rounded woman. Rae joined the U.S. Army almost seven years ago and deployed to Afghanistan in 2012. As a Civil Affairs Sergeant, her special skills included female engagement team leader, combat lifesaver, instructor, airborne paratrooper, and Persian-Farsi linguist.

Throughout her childhood, Rae participated in Girl Scouts in Orange County.
A Girl Scout memory Rae will never forget is receiving her Kidnapping Badge. She recalled her mom waking her up at 7 a.m. on a Saturday and telling her to take a bath without telling her why. Then, much to her surprise, the doorbell rang and she was greeted with the sight of her fellow troop members. She went to breakfast with her troop while wearing her nightgown. To this day, she still remembers the diner they ate breakfast at in Anaheim and always smiles as she drives by, recalling the fun time she had there.

She also remembers the decision-for-your-life weekend event she participated in as a Senior. The event taught Rae and her fellow troop members useful, lifelong lessons such as caring for a battery-operated baby doll that cried like a real infant. The girls even shopped at Babies “R” Us and scanned items to see the cost of raising a child.

As a Girl Scout, Rae also participated in the cookie program. Her favorite cookie is Thin Mints, which she enjoyed receiving through Operation Gratitude while she was stationed in Afghanistan. As part of Operation Gratitude, people can purchase cookies, nuts, and magazines from Girl Scouts and donate them to troops.

Rae’s advice to Girl Scouts, who are interested in joining the military, is to take all of the Girl Scout lessons to heart. Both the Girl Scout values and being depended on are elements that were also part of her Army training and duties.
Rae attributes her success to an insightful philosophy. “Life shrinks and expands in proportion to one’s courage”. We are excited to have Rae share her experiences and wisdom with our Girl Scouts today.

Bossy: a word many use to describe girls who act assertively or state unpopular opinions. It’s also a word that stops girls from raising their hands to answer questions and prevents them from taking on leadership roles. Join us today to ban bossy and encourage girls in your life to be confident and pursue their dreams. Here are three tips to help ban bossy and pave the way for the successful futures of today’s girls.

1. Encourage Girls to Lead. Ask your Girl Scout about school. Praise her strengths. Find out if she is interested in leadership roles for any of her activities. Encourage her to become a leader. Ask your Girl Scout what her dream career is and help her take the necessary steps to make this dream a reality, whether that means enrolling her in the necessary classes or simply cheering her on.

2. Pay Attention to How You and She Communicate. Girls are frequently reprimanded for acting overly confident and begin speaking uncertainly to compensate for this. As a result, girls may be unsure of themselves and their responses. For example, if a girl is certain that she has the correct answer in the classroom, she still may not raise her hand or might respond stating the answer in a questioning tone. You can help your Girl Scout by being conscious of how you and she communicate and try to avoid apologizing or hedging your opinions. Gently point out to her if you notice she is not speaking confidently while also acknowledging if you are doing so, as well.

3. Encourage Your Girl Scout to Participate in Organized Sports and Activities. Sports teach girls important life skills about speaking up, collaborating and even failing, which help them pursue future endeavors. For example, studies show that more than 80 percent of senior female executives played sports growing up. Enroll your Girl Scout in a sport that she is already interested in. If she does not want to play sports, find another activity that she can participate in where she is part of a team such as debate, band, or chess.